Immigrant: 'I shouldn't have to prove I'm a human being'

Gov. Phil Bryant on Monday signed into law a measure that would prevent local governments and universities enacting policies that would limit enforcement of and cooperation with federal immigration laws and enforcement.
Geoff Pender/The Clarion-Ledger

Abigail Piña Mandujano wants people to see her for who she is, not the label that has defined her since she was a child.

"Non US Citizen."

Abigail will immediately tell you she has a habit of taking in stray dogs. She could talk about her love for animals for hours but she has a fondness for dogs that are hungry or hurt.

She sheepishly admits to the number of dogs she's taken in — eight, so far, but that number could grow if she passes a hungry dog wandering the streets. She can't help herself.

If she's not chasing down strays or working her full-time job as a dental assistant, the 22-year-old Blue Springs resident spends the majority of her free time with her family or her boyfriend of four years.

Boxer Rebellion is her favorite band with Guns N' Roses and The Eagles tied for second place. She'll argue the unpopular opinion that Hawaiian pizza is the best pizza.

But last week, a local cashier didn't see Abigail's bubbly personality or know about her dream of finishing her degree in biochemistry. Instead, she saw the bright red lettering on Abigail's driver's license: "Non US Citizen."

Abigail said she went to a major retailer in Blue Springs to exchange an item. But, after seeing Abigail's driver's license, repeatedly demanded additional forms of identification and began asking if she was "here legally." Frustrated and hurt, Abigail left the store.

After the experience with the cashier, Abigail was rattled. She took to Facebook to share her story in an attempt to humanize herself to those who only see her immigration status.

"I’m obviously not welcomed here," the post read, in part. "But I don’t belong in my country either. Every where I go I will always be foreigner. A stranger to the place I was born and a stranger to the place I call home. I could spend the rest of my life here, and I’d still carry around the label of a NON-US CITIZEN."

"There's a stigma of foreigners and immigrants, that we're here to invade," she said Wednesday. "That's the kind of attitude you get on a daily basis if you speak a different language. I don’t think my story was any different but I did want people to know they’re not alone."

Abigail was 4 years old when her mother fled Mexico City with her and illegally crossed the border into the United States. Pre-9/11, before a crackdown on those entering the country, Abigail's mother came into the U.S. with a fake ID. Abigail was sneaked in by her mother's friend; who pretended Abigail was her own child and a legal U.S. citizen.

They joined Abigail's father in Colorado before the family moved to New Albany. There, they welcomed Abigail's sister, now 13. While the youngest member of the Piña Mandujano family was a documented U.S. citizen, the other three were not.

Then, during Abigail's senior year of high school in 2012, she was granted protection under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

DACA, a program enacted under former President Barack Obama, does not grant citizenship. Instead, it allows undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to live and work here without fear of deportation. Those protected under DACA are known as “Dreamers.” DACA was a compromise after Congress failed to pass the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (Dream) Act, which would have allowed these young people the chance of permanent legal residency.

Abigail's DACA status is valid until October 2019.

She's had to drop out of college because she can't afford the tuition. Those with DACA status can't receive federal financial aid and money gets tight. Still, Abigail is undeterred. She's starting school again in the summer.

"It's hard sometimes, but I wouldn't ever say it's been impossible," she said.

The most "frustrating" thing, however, has been dealing with her feelings of being an outsider.

"I think the whole entire community of immigrants that live here, in the town that I come from, we live in the shadows even if we’re here legally," she said. "It’s hard to get away from the name 'illegal' or 'criminal' that we've been stamped with. It doesn't matter how much English you know, or how well integrated you are into the American culture. People will still look at you like you don't belong here.

"So many people are against me and say they don't want me here. You hear comments, especially if you're speaking in a different language, of 'You look Mexican.' I don't feel like I should have to but they don't give me a chance to prove I'm a human being."

The Rev. Michael O'Brien, who has worked with countless immigrants in Mississippi, said feeling like an outsider is common among the documented and undocumented.

"Just because a person has received DACA does not mean that they're going to feel in any way safe," said O'Brien, pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Canton. "Whether they have DACA or don't have DACA the reality is our Hispanic community is being singled out just for being Hispanic.

"The lack of compassion in America is hurting our reputation everywhere possible. It's so contrary to being Southern. One of the greatest virtues of Mississippi is when you walk into a place and feel that hospitality, it's genuine. Except for someone who is an immigrant."

Verónica López with Hispanic Youth Adult Ministry with the Catholic Diocese of Jackson works with Hispanic adults 18 years and older. Many, like Abigail, feel unwelcome even though they've lived in the United States since they were children.

"'I'm here and this is my home, I've lived here most of my life but yet 'I'm not 100 percent part of this country yet,'. I hear that all the time, especially now because of what's happening with the government and not knowing what Congress will do."

The feeling of acceptance largely depends on the community in which they live, López said. While there were many negative comments on Abigail's Facebook, Lopez wanted her and others like her to know they're welcome here and they're not alone.

"This is her home, she's lived her more than half of her life and other people feel the same way."

López said she believes many native born citizens believe immigrants need to assimilate into American culture. She disagrees.

"t's not about assimilating, it's about integrating," she said. "That's where people are from, and they bring out the best of the best. By integrating with other cultures, other traditions, we can only be a better society."

Abigail said her parents have consulted multiple attorneys about becoming U.S. citizens, but, for that to happen, the process requires they must first go back to Mexico. With a 13-year-old daughter, that's a move they can't make right now.

"They can't just up and leave because they have a child here," Abigail said.

The family fled extreme poverty in Mexico City and, while life has been better in the United States, their undocumented status has made life difficult.

"It's’ hard for them," she said of her parents. "They can't get a house because they can't get a mortgage because they don’t have a Social Security number. They pay for everything in cash. It's been hard to make any progress, but, I will say this, we are so lucky and fortunate that my parents have worked as hard as they have to provide what we do have."

Shared over 8,000 times, Abigail's Facebook post has garnered both support and negative attention. Many, she said, have questioned why her parents brought her here without documentation and blamed them for her circumstances. Abigail is quick to point out that she's not a victim and doesn't blame her parents. In fact, she said, she's grateful.

"They didn't know anyone, they had no material possessions," she said. "They didn't have anything, they didn't know any English. To leave all of their family behind, their jobs and all they’ve ever known just so they could take me out of poverty and to afford food, things that we could never afford in Mexico, we can have here.

"I've never starved a day in my life and have clothes on my back and shoes on my feet. There was no way where I could have been able to graduate high school in Mexico in the situation we were living in."